Floating jewel-bearing



K. B. GLENN.

FLOATING lEWEL BEARING.

APPLI CAT|0N FILED FEB. 3. 1921.

1 ,396,570. Patented Nov. 8, 1921 UNITED STATES:

KENNETH B. GLENN, OF AMBRIDGE, PENN SYLVANIA,

FLOATING J' EWEL-BEARIN G.

Application filed February 3, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KENNETH B. GLENN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ambridge, in the county State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floating Jewel-Bearings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in jewel bearings for watch movements and similar mechanism and has for its primary object the provision of means for preventing shocks and jars from breaking a spindle or the jewel of its respective bearing.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a mounting for a jewel bearing which is adapted to permit yielding thereof when excessive pressure is made thereon by the spindle caused by a shock or jar to the latter, so that the mounting will absorb said shock or jar and thereby obviate the danger of the jewel or the spindle becoming broken from such.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a jewel bearing of the above stated character which may be easily and quickly applied to a watch or similar device, and which will be simple, durable, and efiicient, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

or a complete understanding of my in vention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view away illustrating a portion nism of the watch to which applied,

ig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the floating jewel bearing,

ig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the yieldable mounting for the jewel supporting partly broken of the mechamy invention is member,

Fig. 4 is a disk,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the same.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a watch to which my invention is applied, however, the application of my invention to a watch is not necessarily restricted thereto as the same may be sucplan view illustrating the inner Specification of Letters Patent of Beaver and.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921 Serial No. 442,136.

cessfully employed in other instruments wherever jewel bearings are employed. To

provide a clear understanding of my invention I have elected to show and describe the same used for the balance wheel outer caring.

A base 2 is mounted in the bridge 3 of the watch in the usual manner and has formed upon its inner edge an inwardly extending annular flange aproviding an opening 5 and a seat for an inner disk 6 which is provided with an offset flange 4 adapted to rest on the flange 4 to support the disks 6 flush with said flange 4.

The disk 6 is provided with a centrally arranged spindle receiving opening 8 which is surrounded by an offset portion 7 and said opening is adapted to receive the bearing end 9 of an ordinary spindle 10 which in this instance has the balance wheel 11 secured thereto and is provided with an oil stop 12. Between the bearing end 9 and the oil stop 12 is a conical portion 13 that is normally spaced away from the wall of the spindle receiving opening 8. The opening 8 is provided with annular and flared portions and said annular portion is adapted to be engaged by the conical portion 13 of the spindle 10 in case of excessive move ment of the latter out of its original position.

Inner and outer rings 1 1 and 15 are positioned over the disk 6 within the body 2 and the outer ring contacts with the inner wall of the body and rests on the flange 4, while the inner ring 14 is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange 16 forming a jewel seat and a jewel receiving opening 17. he inner ring 14- is floated within the body by a spring 18 of the volute type which has its inner end secured to the inner ring while its outer end is secured to the outer ring. The spring is spaced from the disk 6 so that the movement of the same will not be retarded. A cap jewel 19 is positioned within the inner ring 14 against the seat provided by the flange 16 and projects into the opening 17, and has the end of the spindle bearing against the same for assuming the end thrust of said spindle. A hole jewel 20 engages the cap jewel within the inner ring and has the cylindrical portion of the bearing end of the spindle journaled therein for supporting said spindle horizontally. One face of the jewel 20 is recessed as shown at 21 to permit a limited gages the outer ring 15 named direction moves endwise movement of the spindle. The spring 18 supports the inner ring in such a position that the jewels are held in proper alinement and consequently the spindle. An outer disk 22 closes the body 2 and ento cooperate with the disk 6 in firmly supporting said ring 15. The disk 22 frictionally engagesthe body 2- and is provided with the usual ears 23 which are secured to the bridge 3. lhe body 2 has the usual regulator 24 mounted thereon.

A shock or jar that causes the spindle to have a tendency toward an endwise movement is absorbed by the spring there y preventing breaking of the bearing end of the spindle and the cap jewel. In case of an excessive shock in said direction, the spindle is limited in its'endwise movement beyond a given distance by the shoulder between the conical portion 13 and the oil stop 12 of the spindle coming in contact with the conical wall of the opening 8 of the disk 6.

A shock to the spindle in a direction at right angles to the plane of said spindle is absorbed by the spring 18 which permits movement of the jewels accordingly. An excessive shock to the spindle in the last the spindle into engagement with the annular wall of the opening 8 of the disk 6 and consequently prevents undue displacement of the spindle which also appliesto the excessive endwise movement of the spindle.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the possibility of the spindle and the jewel becoming broken from shocks and jars is reduced to a minimum and that means is provided to prevent unlimited movement of the spindle and consequently obviating the mechanism from becoming out of time or rendered inoperative.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination, and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the'invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. A jewel bearing comprising a body,

disks closing said body and one of said disks having an opening to receive a spindle, an inner ring in said body, an outer ring in said body and supported by the disk, a spring attached to said ring for floating the inner ring within the body, and jewels carried by the inner ring for supporting the spindle.

2. A jewel bearing comprising disks closing said body and one having an opening to receive the spindle, an inner ring located in said body, jewels carried by said ring for supporting the spindle, an outer ring in said body and supported by said disk and'spaced from the inner ring, a volute spring secured to the inner and outer rings and adapted to yieldably support the inner ring.

3. A jewel bearing comprising a body, an inwardly extending annular flange formed on said body to form a seat, a disk having an offset flange resting upon said seat, said disk having an opening surrounded by an offset to receive a spindle, an annular member located in said body, jewels carried by said member and supporting the spindle in spacedrelation to the wall of the second opening, means yieldably supporting the annular member and adapted to absorb shocks and jars to the jewels and to the spindle, the wall of thesecond named opening adapted to engage the spindle after the movement of the latter beyond a given distance.

4. A jewel bearing comprising a body, disks closing said body, an inner ring located in said body, an outer ring located in said body and supported by the disks, a spring yieldably supporting the inner ring and attached to the outer ring, an inwardly extending annular ring to' form a jewel seat and receiving openings, a cap jewel engaging said seat and received within said openings, a hole jewel mounted in the inner ring and rotatably supporting a spindle with the end of the latter in engagement with the cap jewel, one of said disks having an opening to receive the spindle. e V

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KENNETH B. GLENN.

a body,

lVitnesses:

- E. B. WALKER, A. R. ENGLAND, Jr.

flange formed on the inner of said disks 

